It’s morning in America and McDonald’s is pretty sure you want to eat fried chicken on a biscuit. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that McDonald’s has seen so much cash from their chicken menu items that they’re adding some to the breakfast menu. Get ready to sink your teeth into the Southern Style Chicken Biscuit and the Southern Style Chicken Sandwhich. Chicken sandwich experts (or whatever) accuse McDonald’s of copying Chic-Fil-A which apparently has been offering a chicken breakfast biscuit since 1986.
From the Chicago Tribune:
McDonald’s Southern-style items are simple affairs. The sandwich, which has a suggested retail price of $2.89, comes on plain steamed bun, with butter and two pickles its sole condiments. The biscuit, which goes for $1.89, comes adorned only with butter.
Both arrived in stores nationwide within the past two weeks, and a national ad campaign began last week. On Thursday, customers who buy any medium or large drink at McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants can receive a free Southern-style sandwich or breakfast biscuit.
In the South, chicken for breakfast has long been popular, as have simple-but-hearty fried chicken sandwiches like Chick-fil-A’s, said West of Stifel Nicolaus. “People in the South love this stuff. The wild card is, will this do as well in the North, in Chicago or Michigan?”
McDonald’s says it has extensively tested its Southern-style items in the North, as well as the South, and that both went over well. For those who think chicken for breakfast might sound bizarre, McDonald’s Thoma pointed to the McGriddle.
Launched in 2003, the McGriddle—eggs and/or meat sandwiched between two pancakes—was seen by some as bizarre, he said. But it became a big hit and a staple of McDonald’s breakfast menu.
“People are venturing outside of their comfort zones,” Thoma said.
What say you, Northerners? Are you going to eat a chicken biscuit for breakfast?
No Beef With Chicken Sales [Chicago Tribune]
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@akalish: 5 miles? Try 500. The nearest CFA is Maryland or Pennsylvania, and there are two McDs in my town. Chic-Fil-A just isn’t an option. I’d love to try one sometime, though.
I’d eat it.
I work at a Chick-Fil-A and I can say the real difference between our sandwiches and the ones from McDonalds is we use real meat. Im sure McDonalds’ come frozen, pre-packaged and boxed at the place they get all of the rest of their food. At Chick-Fil-A, twice a week we get in shipments of chicken, fresh raw chicken. Every 20 minutes the kitchen staff hand breads every single piece of meat, rather a sandwich, nugget, or strip. I’d say 95% of everything we sale we hand make with the exceptions being brownies, cheesecake, and lemon pie. As to the comment above, no I don’t believe that we should be open on Sunday’s. Its nice to have a day off of work to be with your family and go to church. Being in high school, Chick-Fil-A really is an exceptional company to work for and they are always flexible and courteous about everything. Chick-Fil-A is truly a 5 star fast food restaurant
McDonalds is copying Chic-Fil-A? So? Chic-Fil-A copied the Earl of Sandwich.
@TC2COOL: I had chicken and waffles just the other night at Merrit’s bakery in Oakland. They serve the chicken on its own plate.
This is a non-story, isn’t it? Newsflash, some food producers want you to eat nutritionally suspect food so they can make money by catering to your preference for foodstuffs that aren’t good for you, but taste good.
McDonald’s isn’t doing anything wrong so I’m not sure why this is on the Consumerist.
A similar story would be, “Blizzard wants you to sit on your ass all day and stare at your computer screen.” The horror!
I got the free “southern style” chicken biscuit this morning. I was so annoyed that I had to comment on my blog.
As for the free sandwich deal, it was implented poorly by McDonalds. You can’t get the discount from the clerk at the register. It requires the manager to enter a secret code to get the discount. This dramatically slows service and will only tick off customers, not to mention the harried manager running from register to register, in addition to their regular duties.
As for the sandwich itself, it is about as “southern style” as a rueben sandwich. As a carpetbagger, and having dined at Cracker Barrel, a proper “southern style” chicken entree would include a sawmill gravy. There is no sawmill gravy on their “southern style” chicken sandwich. Just a dry crumbly biscuit.
My favorite McDonalds breakfast item is still the Sausage McMuffin w/ Egg. Darn tasty although it’s darn deadly. I try to keep my consumption down to one or two a year.
I’m still wondering why people still eat at fast food restaurants anymore? Convenience doesn’t seem like much of an argument against your health and your family’s health.
…So why is this here, exactly? Hardee’s chicken biscuits are my favorite fast food breakfast by far. Granted I’m from the south, not Chicago, but still….
I just wonder if its the same mystery chicken they use in the nuggets?????
As I work at a chick-fil-a (one in the north) I have to say that the quality of the chicken mcdonald’s uses is not anywhere near the quality of chicken that we use, we get real pieces of chicken that we have to milkwash, and hand bread. We use peanut oil while although isn’t great for people with peanut allergies, is a lot better for you and so there is zero trans-fat and chlosterol in our fried foods, look at the pakages. And you can get our chicken biscut and sandwiches however you want them. With gravy, add egg or cheese, and we cook eggs to order by the way, and we also mix our own biscuits, they don’t just taste like handmade as McD’s advertise…..
On kind of a side note, even eating fries and nuggets at CFA, I no longer eat at McD’s and have lost weight since working there……
One last note, improved menu starts Monday May 19th
I tried this today. It was ok (NOT dry as some commenters noted), but I won’t be buying it again. I read the back of the tray liner while eating it, and saw that this, as well as some other chicken options like the McChicken sandwich, as well as some wraps, actually had MORE fat & calories then a cheeseburger. It’s good they have this info on the tray liners. Interesting food for thought…
I’ll have to see if there’s a chick-fil-a in my area, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one.
Back to In-N-Out for my weekly fast food fix…
As a sidenote…Why is it that people who intend to eat in at a fast food restaurant get medium or large sodas? Why not just get a small and get refills? I usually get water, but if I get a soda, I get the smallest size possible. Why pay more for something you can refill anyways? Do people really not want to walk over to the refills?
(this is an honest question, I really don’t know why people waste their money this way. Of course it’s diff if you’re taking to go…)
@xay: OK, I stand corrected. Thanks!
@Ash78: I actually agree with you and I’m an agnostic. Chick-fil-A’s stance is part of its corporate tradition, and there’s something to be said about forgoing that easy extra money. Also, when it comes to establishments that have to follow local blue laws (mandatory closure on Sundays), a good argument has been made that these rules serve as a back door perk for hourly workers who get few benefits as it is. (The debate really comes from what kind of establishments should follow blue laws, like resturants, grocery stores, drug stores, etc.)
Though it would be mad nice to get a CFA sandwich, some waffle fries, and a fresh fountain Coke on a Sunday afternoon.
@elisa: Well, one reason someone told me was so that when they do get up to leave, they can refill their cup then and be able to drink for the longest possible time. Here in Texas we live like travelers to Mercury five months a year.
I tried their new chicken biscuit last week. Chic-fil-a has nothing to worry about.